Toothbrush



Nov. 19, 1957 T, T ASCHENBACH 2,813,290

TOOTI-IBRUSH Filed Aug. 10, 1954 United States Patent O TOOTHBRUSH Theodora Theresa Aschenbach, Washington, D. C. Application August 10, 1954, Serial No. 448,814 1 Claim. (Cl. 15-136) My invention relates to a toothbrush, and it is an object of the same to provide a disposable toothbrush with provision to contain a supply of toothpaste in the brush that will be ample for use by the owner over a period of several weeks, the construction being so simple and cheap that after exhaustion of the paste carried thereby the remaining parts may be discarded.

Another object is to provide a toothbrush with means for containing toothpaste in such fashion that the small amount desired to be used at a brushing can be dispensed to the bristles without appreciable waste of paste, and that the remaining paste will be safely and securely held in the cavity provided for that purpose.

Another object is to provide means for feeding paste out of a container as needed, while keeping the remaining contents in moist condition so as to be fed out easily and in quantity desired.

Another object is to provide a hollow handle for the brush, with a exible portion, so constructed that any desired quantity of paste may be ejected among the bristles, while the remaining contents are held in a cell that is substantially closed on all sides, so as to keep the paste moist and to protect it against waste and deterioration.

Another object is to form the brush with a rigid handle at the side remote from the flexible portion, said rigid portion being formed with depressions for the fingers and intervening elevations between which the fingers fit, thus providing means for positioning and securely holding the brush while being used on the teeth.

Referring now to the drawings, which are made a part of this application, and in which similar parts are indicated by similar reference characters:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a brush of my invention,

with parts in section,

Fig. 2, a plan of the same,

Fig. 3, a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, reference character indicates generally the rigid hollow portion of the toothbrush that is formed preferably of hard plastic material, with a cavity at 11 extending from the rear or lefthand end of the brush through the neck 12 and underneath the bristles 13 that are secured to the upper wall of the hollow head 2 portion 14 of the brush about the oritices 15 in any suitable or conventional manner.

The handle portion is hollow, as indicated, the hollow shell 10 having a chamber 11 for toothpaste and being closed by an upper wall 16 of flexible plastic material which may be transparent and colorless or of any desired color, the margin of which is welded or otherwise secured to the handle about the upper free edge of the same, as indicated at 17. Preferably the chamber 11 is filled as indicated in Fig. 1, to such an extent that the flexible upper wall 16 is bulged upward to some extent, it being intended that this wall can be depressed approximately as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4 in pressing the paste out of the cavity, since it is my purpose to furnish a supply of paste in the chamber of the brush that shall be suii'icient for about one months supply, and that the brush shall be discarded when the chamber shall have become empty or nearly so.

Preferably the body of the toothbrush is formed with transverse indentations or scallops 18 in which the lingers of a hand may engage for holding the brush in desired position and the shape indicated is that preferred, but I do not limit myself to any particular shape, nor otherwise than as indicated in the appended claim.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

A toothbrush suiciently inexpensive to justify the discarding of the same after only limited use comprising a relatively stiif elongated hollow body forming a handle merging into an elongated hollow head of reduced crosssection, said hollow head having communication with said hollow body which forms the handle, bristles mounted on said hollow head, said hollow head being apertured for the discharge of dentifrice onto said bristles, said hollow body which forms the handle having a relatively flat bottom and a pair of upstanding side walls forming a trough upwardly open substantially throughout its length, the side walls of said body having transverse indentations along their length serving to strengthen and improve the gripping of said handle, a substantially flat flexible cover strip for said trough permanently secured around its margin to the inner surface of the upper edges of the upstanding sides of said body which also form a guard for preventing appreciable accidental compression of said flexible cover strip and the discharge of dentifrice when said brush is not in use.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 144,163 Dolnick Mar. 19, 1946 730,040 McKinley June 2, 1903 776,468 Hosmer Nov. 29, 1904 1,065,256 Lamar June 17, 1913 1,142,566 Jackson June 8, 1915 2,321,265 Ulvick June 8, 1943 2,324,789 Mayeux July 20, 1943 2,416,684 Fischer Mar. 4, 1947 2,705,335 Glassman et al. Apr. 5, 1955 

